Visiting priest facing molestation charges

LODI - A visiting priest at St. Anne's Parish in Lodi has been arrested in connection with a Yuba City child molestation case, authorities said.

Keith Reid

LODI - A visiting priest at St. Anne's Parish in Lodi has been arrested in connection with a Yuba City child molestation case, authorities said.

Julio Guarin-Sosa, 43, who is visiting the United States from Colombia, was arrested at St. Anne's in Lodi by Yuba City police Sunday. He was transported to Sutter County Jail, where he is being held on $250,000 bail, according to the Sutter County Sheriff's Department website.

The Diocese of Stockton required a letter of good standing for Guardin-Sosa before he was allowed to work in Lodi, according to a written statement from Bishop Stephen Blaire. Upon his arrest, his permission to work in the Diocese of Stockton was revoked.

Yuba City police Operations Manager Shawna Pavey said Gaurin-Sosa was in Yuba City on Friday for a private Mass inside a residence. He allegedly had sexual contact with a 16-year-old girl inside the home, Pavey said.

He was arrested for sexual battery and molestation charges. The Department of Immigration has placed a so-called "ice hold" on his ability to leave the United States, Pavey said.

Sister Terry Davis, a diocese spokeswoman, said Guarin-Sosa was working at St. Anne's for "two to three weeks," delivering sermons and liturgies.

Davis said the priest had minimal contact with children in Lodi. He did take confession from groups of children.

"He wasn't in a completely isolated situation with a child," she said.